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A family of two parents and two children with an income of $118,000 could pay up to $11,786 in taxes for public health care this year, a new report from the Fraser Institute says.

Families in the top 10% of income earners will pay up to $37,239 for health-care insurance, while 10% of families with the lowest income will pay an average of $523.

A single person earning $42,000 will pay $4,381.

"Health care in Canada is not free — while Canadians may not pay directly for medical services, they pay a substantial amount of money for health care through taxes," the study's co-author Bacchus Barua said in a press release.

Barua says most Canadians are unaware of what health care costs because there is no dedicated tax for it — instead, it's covered by general government revenue.

The report also notes in the past ten years, the cost of health-care insurance for the average Canadian family increased by 53.3%, which is above increases in income (34.7%), and the cost of housing (40.7%), clothing (33.4%) and food (15.6%).

"The cost of health care in Canada is rising and it's ordinary Canadians and their families who pay the bill," Barua said.

"Any debate about health care in Canada has to acknowledge the real cost Canadians pay through taxes. Once Canadians know how much health care actually costs them, they can then decide if the system delivers good value for their money."